Today's sport news: what you need to know

Latest - Canterbury have beaten Auckland at Christchurch, in a thrilling final to win the Farah Palmer Cup for the third time in a row.

The teams were locked at 20-all in the final minutes before Lucy Anderson scored a try and Kendra Cocksedge kicked a dropgoal, with Canterbury winning by 30 points to 20.

Both teams nabbed three tries each, with Auckland Ruahei Demant grabbing a double, but it was the boot of Cocksedge that won the match for the home side.

She converted all three tries, kicked two penalties and the decisive drop goal late in the match.

Tomorrow Otago face Hawke's Bay in the championship final.

Leicester set record in EPL

Leicester City recorded the biggest ever English top-flight football away win by beating 10-man Southampton 9-0 at a rain-sodden St Mary's to move up to second place in the Premier League.

The biggest margin of victory on the road previously was eight goals, a joint record held by three clubs.

It was also the first time a team had scored nine away goals in the Premier League and equalled Manchester United's record 9-0 Premier League win achieved at home to Ipswich Town in 1995.

The 2016 champions Leicester moved to 20 points from 10 games, their best start to a Premier League campaign, that leaves them five points behind leaders Liverpool and a point ahead of Manchester City, who both have a game in hand.

Hat-tricks from Ayoze Perez and Jamie Vardy plus goals by Youri Tielemans, Ben Chilwell and James Maddison inflicted Southampton's biggest home defeat in their 133-year history.

Southampton are third from bottom.

-Reuters

Vettel quickest in Mexico

Sebastian Vettel lapped fastest for Ferrari in practice for the Mexican Formula One Grand Prix.

The German lapped the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit with a quickst time just ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who has won in Mexico the last two years.

Lewis Hamilton, who could be crowned world champion for a sixth time this weekend, was fifth fastest.

Hamilton has to score 14 points more than Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas, winner of the previous race in Japan, on Sunday to wrap up the title.

Ferrari arrived in Mexico as many people's favourites, having racked up five poles in a row, with Red Bull also seen as contenders for another win.

-Reuters

Venus qualifies for season-ender

New Zealand tennis player Michael Venus and his South African partner Raven Klaasen have qualified for next month's ATP Finals for the second consecutive year.

They are the third duo to claim a spot at the 2019 season finale in London, joining Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah and Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo in the elite eight-team field.

Vnus and Klaasen have won two ATP 500-level titles this season in Halle and Washington and have made two other finals.

Last year Venus and Klaasen won one and lost two of their group games.

Kiwi Ferns beaten

The Australian women's rugby league team beat the Kiwi Ferns 28-8 in their Test match in Wollongong.

A sensational trick play from Australian five-eighth Kirra Dibb opened up the game late in the first half, giving the Jillaroos a 16-point lead despite a wealth of possession for the Kiwis.

The Ferns had done all the running in the first half but were overrun when their discipline took a turn. They went into the sheds down 18-4 at halftime, but skipper Honey Hireme pulled the Ferns back into the game with a brilliant try just after the break before the Jillaroos pulled away.

But typically, both sides were left bruised and battered as they awaited their next meeting in 2020.

"The bravery from these girls is phenomenal," said Kiwi Ferns coach Justin Morgan.

"They do not hold back in contact and I think I've said a number of times, I haven't coached a group of players that love contact so much.

"There was some big defensive moments out there at different stages and a lot of bravery."

-AAP

Steamers promoted to Premiership

Bay of Plenty are heading back to provincial rugby's Premiership after beating Hawke's Bay 12-7 in the Championship final in Rotorua.

Hawke's Bay scored the only try of the game, an intercept to Jonah Lowe in the 57th minute.

Dan Hollinshead kicked four penalties for Bay of Plenty.

So Bay of Plenty return to the top flight for the first time since 2013, while Counties Manukau are relegated to the Championship.

Groups decided for WTA Finals

World number one Ash Barty and Japan's Naomi Osaka were drawn in the same group for the round robin matches of the WTA Finals to be held in Shenzhen, China next week, with the year's four Grand Slam champions split evenly between the two groups.

French Open champion Barty and Australian Open winner Osaka were joined by the Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova and Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in the Red Group.

Wimbledon winner Simona Halep and U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu were drawn in the Purple Group with Czech Karolina Pliskova and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

The tournament, which runs from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3, is being held in Shenzhen for the first time and a total of $22 million in prize money is up for grabs.

-Reuters

Waters fastest on the GC

Supercars young gun Cam Waters has topped the time sheets in Friday's final practice session ahead of the Gold Coast 600.

The Ford star clocked one minute, 09.96 seconds ahead of Holden's Shane van Gisbergen and seven-time series champion Jamie Whincup.

Runaway series leader Scott McLaughlin could manage only the seventh-fastest time in the 25-strong field but not for lack of trying.

The Ford star admitted he was guilty of attacking the tough street circuit too aggressively after his uncharacteristic finish outside the pace setters.

McLaughlin can clinch the 2019 series in Saturday's opening race if he places in the top three and nearest title rival van Gisbergen fails to finish - a real possibility on the concrete wall-lined Gold Coast track that has no margin for error.

-AAP

Rain hits golf tournament

The Zozo golf Championship in Japan will finish on Monday, 24 hours later than scheduled, after torrential rain completly washed out the second round.

New Zealand's Danny Lee is in a tie for 25th.

Meanwhile Lydia Ko is tied for 24th, six shots from the lead, after two rounds of the latest LPGA event in South Korea.

And Ryan Fox is tied for 35th midway through the Portugal Masters.